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Many actresses who begin their careers in South Indian cinema and later shift to Bollywood often end up criticizing or downplaying the South industry. During their peak in the South, they happily accept glamorous roles, but once their popularity dips and they get offers in Hindi films, they claim that the South never recognized their talent and only treated them as glamour dolls.

Pooja Hegde, however, has taken a refreshingly different stance. Though she debuted in Bollywood, her most impactful roles and biggest hits came from Telugu and Tamil films.

In recent times, her opportunities in Telugu cinema have declined, while she has been busier with Tamil projects and continues to work in Hindi films. Yet, in a recent interview, Pooja candidly admitted that Bollywood never offered her strong roles, instead largely casting her in glamorous parts that were far from memorable.

In contrast, she praised South cinema for giving her well-written, challenging characters. She pointed to her latest Tamil film Retro, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, where she played a brilliantly crafted role that allowed her to showcase her performance skills. She expressed her desire to take up more such meaningful roles in the future.

Pooja also highlighted her characters in Telugu films like Aravinda Sametha and Radhe Shyam, which offered emotional depth and acting scope — something she felt was missing in most of her Bollywood projects, apart from Mohenjo Daro.